Last year saw the exposure of illegal trials and illegal promotion of the anti-cancer drug, Letrozole, as a fertility drug in India.

More than 400 women, who had been trying in vain to conceive, were enrolled without their knowledge or consent to take part in clinical trials to see if the drug induced ovulation.

In this article, Fiona Fleck reveals that the Letrozole trials are only one example of a widespread global phenomenon. Such incidences highlight the importance of independent ethics committee approval for the sale and distribution of any drug.